Living in the Granite Belt gives us an appreciation of its amazing flora and fauna. Many plants and animals call the Granite Belt home too and some of these species are vulnerable or endangered. Some are unique to this region and not found anywhere else in the world!

Barbara and Philippa of the Waste and Resource Recovery Team would like to extend a huge thanks to every community member who volunteered their time and their excess goods to the GBSAN Garage Sale on the 9th November. There are too many people to list but you know who you are - congratulations in helping make the monster Garage Sale a success.

The new Council has moved to expand its Pest Management Advisory Committee (PMAC) with the inclusion of representatives from of a broader range of interest groups. This includes the Invasive Species Council and representatives from Granite Borders Landcare, the Condamine Headwaters Landcare Group and Southern Qld Landscapes. A representative from local traditional owners has also been invited to join the committee. I have also been accepted on to the committee as a community representative.

GBSAN held a successful AGM and gathering on Sunday 24th November. Rick Humphries gave a report on the many projects currently undertaken by the different teams active in the network.

Our Bushcare Group continues to work on worthwhile projects in the region. We had a successful morning assisting the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium to weed around the critically endangered Grevillea Scortechinii - Black Grevillea. It was encouraging to find several new plants around the existing ones.

Work with preparation and planting of thousands of native trees and shrubs with Quoll Society Australia continued this month. The QuollSA team are an incredibly hard working team making a significant positive change in our area, linking strategic clusters of bushland. They are also very appreciative of the help our Bushcare Group offers. 

Our last project for the year will be assisting the Stanthorpe Community Garden on Saturday 7 December from 8:00am to 11:00. Followed by a morning tea. We will be showcasing our fantastic new gear purchased with the $1000 Stanthorpe RSL Community Grant. Please feel free to come along and say hello or contact Geraldine community@gbsan.org.au to find out more or to join up.

Our team has continued work in recruiting landholders to join up to our Landscape Linkages project which will build clusters of corridors linking bushland to avoid further fragmentation of bushland that has led to species decline  in our region.

A flyer has been created to build more awareness of the project and hopefully encourage more people to register an expression of interest. 

Team members also met with like minded groups such as Granite Border Landcare, Condamine Headwaters Landcare, Sandy Hunter, Environment Officer with SDRC and Wim Linstrom from SQNNSW Innovation Hub. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the re-launch of the Land for Wildlife programme including establishing a coordinator/bushcare officer. All groups are in full support of this idea and a proposal will be ready for Grant applications early in 2025.

Our enthusiastic Bushcare group teamed up with Shannon, Paul and Jess from the Quoll Society Australia to assist with preparation and planting of over 2000 trees on Granite Belt properties.

Our next job will be on 14 November 2024. We will be working together with the Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium to weed around some critically endangered native plants. If you would like to join us, please contact Geraldine at community@gbsan.org.au

Word is getting out about this important project which aims to join up wildlife corridors/stepping stones across the Granite Belt to assist with survival of our wonderful and unique native fauna and flora. Currently we have 34 landholders who have signed up to the project. We are aiming to have 150 landholders involved in the project within the next 12 months.

Our stall at the annual Stanthorpe Trading and Gardenfest was well received with 4 new members signed up, as well as 4 more landholders joining our Granite Belt Landscape Linkages project. Queenie the Quoll attracted many people. Everyone we talked to expressed excitement at seeing quolls on properties.

The recent release of the draft Renewables Regulatory Framework is a welcome significant step in the right direction. Supported by the Queensland Farmers Federation, Agforce and the QLD Conservation Council, the framework will go a long way to ensuring regional Queenslanders are adequately consulted.

Donate to the GBSAN garage sale or visit on Saturday 9 November to pick up some bargains!

The Southern Downs and Granite Belt Bird Places Brochure includes a self-drive map and an extensive  list of known bird watching hot spots as well as a description of the types of birds most likely to be  spotted at each place. 

Toby’s talk at our September meeting focussed on the BA’s Plastic Free Places campaign and how GBSAN could get involved.

The GBSAN general meeting on Sunday 22nd September was a great update on all the activities we’ve been involved with recently. Congratulations to everyone involved in organising and participating in the activities and projects. Thanks to all GBSAN members for your support, without which none of this would be achieved.

The Community Engagement Team has been instrumental in raising awareness, educating the community, and promoting sustainable practices in the Granite Belt. Over the past year, the team has achieved significant accomplishments, including:

There are lots of good things happening on the sustainability front on the Granite Belt. A number of projects that have been stalled over the past several years are gaining momentum or coming to fruition.

This is a summary of the Renewables Recycling Summit in Toowoomba held in August.

Read an update about our new bushcare group, which meets monthly to remove invasive weeds from bush areas around the Granite Belt. If you’d like to join in, please contact community@gbsan.org.au.

Updates about the recent movie night, upcoming GBSAN events at the Eco Expo and Gardenfest, as well as the Linkages project and new weedbusters group.

Fire ants infest around 600,000 ha in South East Queensland in Greater Brisbane and Toowoomba regions, and Northern NSW in the Northern Rivers. Fire ants are one of the world’s worst invasive species, with the ability to severely impact our environment, economy, agricultural industries, health, and our Australian way of life.